Source: Biodiversity-l.iisd.orgPress ReleaseThe UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), together with the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), recently hosted a meeting to develop guidelines for ivory sampling and analysis to be employed at wildlife crime scenes and by forensic laboratories. The UNODC workshop, held from 4-6 December, 2013, in Vienna, Austria, brought together forensic scientists, law enforcement experts and prosecutors to discuss ways to support the international community's fight against wildlife crime. UNODC's Director of the Division for Operations, Aldo Lale-Demos, referred to illegal ivory trade as a rapidly growing transnational organized crime.The UNODC meeting took place shortly after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Botswana convened the African Elephant Summit, during which key range, transit and destination States: urgently called for the development of a network of forensic laboratories equipped to trace the origin of seized ivory for DNA and isotopic analysis; and adopted measures to classify wildlife trafficking as a “serious crime,” an annotation that will unlock international law enforcement cooperation provided under the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.

My Lords, a few years ago the subject of this debate might have been regarded as rather marginal in terms of importance; that is no longer the case. In introducing this debate I should declare an interest as a Friend of the Whitley Fund for Nature ,a charity concerned with conservation world-wide.Illegal trade in wildlife has grown to become a massive global industry. It is said to be worth at least 90 billion dollars per year. It is ranked as the fourth largest global illegal activity after narcotics, counterfeiting and human trafficking and ahead of oil, art, gold, human organs, small arms and diamonds. Illegal ivory trade activity worldwide has more than doubled since 2007 and is now over three times larger than it was in 1998, its highest level in two decades with ivory fetching up to $1,000 a pound or $2,205 a kilogram on the streets of Beijing. The worst year on record for elephant ivory seizures was 2011 when almost 40 tons of smuggled ivory was seized. In the last decade 11,000 forest elephants have been killed in one park alone, Gabon’s Minkebe National Park, with a total population of forest elephants down 62% in the past 10 years. The kill rate of elephants now exceeds the birth rate – a trend that if not reversed could lead to the extinction of the African elephant from some areas in the next few years. In 2012 a record 668 rhinos were poached in South Africa up by almost 50% from 2011 figures. In 2013 the toll continued to rise with 201 rhinos killed in Kruger National Park alone. A sub-species of the black rhino was declared extinct in the wild in West Africa in 2011. A seizure in July 2013 in the Czech Republic of 24 white rhino horns was the largest ever in the EU.It led to the arrest of 16 suspects in connection with wildlife trafficking. Czech authorities announced that an international gang had been importing rhino horns illegally into the Czech Republic from where they were to be shipped to Asia for sale. Reports were that the gang used bogus hunters to kill the animals in South Africa who then applied for export/import permits to move the horns under the pretext of being personal trophies.

According to Interpol, the US Department of State, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and others, the same routes used to smuggle wildlife across countries and continents are often used to smuggle weapons, drugs and people with the same culprits frequently involved. Indeed wildlife crime often occurs hand in hand with other offences like fraud, corruption, money laundering, theft and murder. More....

Source: Uk.news.yahoo.com President Francois Hollande said Thursday France would increase fines for illegal trading in ivory and endangered animal species. Speaking at a round table on poaching that gathered French and African leaders, Hollande said he had asked Justice Minister Christiane Taubira to ramp up action against trafficking in imperilled species and animal parts. Police and customs officials will be directed to step up surveillance, he said. Purchasing illegal ivory "has to be an act that is clearly punishable," Hollande said. "The profitability of poaching (must) be placed under threat through heavy fines." According to presidential aides, fines will be increased tenfold. Hollande called for better cooperation between national customs authorities, as well as standardised penalties, to close loopholes. France will put forward proposals next February for giving the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) more powers in fighting the trade in endangered species, Hollande added. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the global trade in wildlife is worth between $15-20 billion (11.02-14.7 billion euros) annually. The round table was held on the eve of a two-day summit on peace and security in Africa, expected to be attended by about 40 leaders from the continent.

Source: WWF.panda.orgFrench President François Hollande called on the “conscience of consumer countries” to put an end to the rampant poaching of elephants and rhinos in Africa, during a speech to African presidents on Thursday.

“These are countries for which we have great respect. We want to … alert them of the consequences of this consumption, which should no longer exist,” he said at the beginning of a roundtable dedicated to wildlife criminality, where the African leaders discussed solutions to save Africa’s wildlife. The roundtable was held the day before the beginning of the Africa-France Heads of State Summit where leaders will discuss peace and security on the continent. “WWF congratulates the French government for its stand against wildlife criminality,” according to Bas Huijbregts, head of WWF’s campaign against wildlife criminality in Central Africa. “The measures announced by Hollande today are those needed to save Africa’s elephants and rhinos from extinction.” “Particularly commendable was his call on ending consumption, increasing fines for traffickers in France tenfold, the proposed cooperation with African customs organizations, the destruction of its seized ivory stock, and the harmonization of legal deterrents,” Huijbregts explained. Rising demand for elephant ivory and rhino horns – especially in East Asia – has led to an epidemic of poaching across the whole African continent. According to data at the beginning of the Elephant Summit in Gabarone, Botswana, on Monday, 22,000 elephants were killed in Africa in 2012, out of a remaining population of around 500,000. Major ivory seizures in 2013 are, now at 41 tons, already a record high since measures began. Rhino populations are even more at risk. Over 800 rhinoceroses where killed so far this year in South Africa alone, out of a remaining population of 25,000 throughout the continent. “Our generation could be the one which witnesses the extinction of Africa’s most emblematic animals: rhinos, elephants, hippos and great apes,” Hollande said. More....

Young Asians are the focus of a new campaign to highlight the illicit trade of wildlife. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has released a new public service announcement, delivered by well-known Chinese actress Li Bingbing.But unlike previous campaigns where conservation was the focus, the message is now concerned with security and the criminal gangs involved.Presenter: Tom MaddocksSpeaker: Li Bingbing, Chinese actress and UN ambassador; Giovanni Broussard, UNODC officer, based in South East Asia, following environmental crime, organised crime and border control. Audiofile.

Source: Noodls.comPress ReleaseThe illicit trade of wildlife and its derivatives to, from, and within Asia is worth billions of US dollars annually. It fuels organized crime, corruption, and violence. This transnational crime has rarely been a priority for law enforcement and the criminal justice system, allowing traffickers to enjoy a high level of impunity so far. A rich bio-diversity hot spot, Southeast Asia and the Pacific is both a point of origin and destination for a significant trade in wildlife that threatens many vital and endangered species with extinction. Rare wildlife is consumed throughout Asia - but particularly in China, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan Province of China, Viet Nam and Thailand - for luxury meals, and used for status symbol ornaments and in traditional medicine. Asia is now a significant consumer market for smuggled wildlife, driving the massive scale of poaching in Africa. To highlight the urgency of this issue, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific is launching a wildlife crime public service announcement (PSA) to raise awareness among young Asians that the buying, selling, and consuming of protected species is illegal and finances organized crime. Featuring internationally renowned Chinese actress Li Bing Bing, who is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Environment Programme, the PSA vividly illustrates how wildlife crime inflicts a tragic toll of destruction. It asks viewers to make a difference by changing their consumption habits today. Delivered by Ms. Li, the PSA's message is simple: Buying protected wildlife is a crime. Don't be part of it! "In today's globalized society, young people are better informed and can drive change. They can make informed choices and decide not to be part of this trade which lines the pockets of criminals," said Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director. "By showing the consequences of the illegal wildlife trade - corruption, organized crime, and the extinction of endangered species - this PSA asks young people in Asia to make a radical change," he added. ThePSA, which was funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs ( INL) of the US Department of State, is available in English and Mandarin, and in subtitled Thai and Vietnamese versions: More....

Source: Theecologist.orgBy Verity LargoPoaching is no longer about one man and a bow and arrow: it is a huge business, akin to international networks, sprawling across continents. From baby cheetahs, 'medicinal' rhino horn to carved elephant tusks, poaching is identified as a major threat to global stability, the environment. "Most days I'm bouncing around on bad roads for hours, I've lost count of the punctures." Helen O'Neill lifts out her two rocks that are wedging the back wheels stationary, plops them in the car, takes out the jack, and fixes on the newly punctured tyre to the tailgate of the jeep. Helen's morning commute must rank as one of the most splendid in the world. At 6.20am, after a quick boiled kettle wash in a bowl, a coffee, she drives off into the 2200 sq km area of the North Serengeti that she surveys, as part of the Cheetah Project. We're out looking for cheetahs with the Serengeti Cheetah Project. The main remit is to compile basic information about their habits and movements, across a long period of time. We've been driving for four hours, past numerous delighted tourists ogling bucking wilderbeest, startled zebra, colobus monkey, hartebeest, dik diks, oryx, rindebuck, lions and even a leopard. The cheetah project works in collaboration with Serengeti National Parks, and Tanzanian Wildlife Research institute, the most famous, and oldest cheetah project in the world. Helen isn't comfortable commenting on poaching. The conservation world in East Africa is highly political, and people must tread carefully: their visas and ability to keep working in a focussed area rest on not being too critical of East African governments. The tourist industry needs live elephants, not slaughtered carcasses that are funding arms to bomb shopping malls. Poaching is literally the elephant in the room. It's everywhere and massively on the rise. Al Jazeera says sixty elephants a day are killed in Tanzania. Recently the East African Wildlife Society commented:"The data collected over the last 24 months shows a massive escalation in the rate of illegal killing of elephants. The situation is now so bad that by most measures it can be considered out of control and certainly beyond the limits of what elephant populations can sustain."More....

Source: CITIES.orgPress ReleaseCountries of West Asia have agreed on a process aimed at strengthening regional cooperation to combat wildlife crime. The agreement was reached at a workshop hosted by Kuwait, from 29 to 31 October 2013, with the participation of officials from eight countries of West Asia: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The workshop was organized at the request of the CITES Member States (Parties) of West Asia, in order to consult with regional government officials involved in CITES implementation and law enforcement, including police and Customs, as well as the national CITES Management Authorities and relevant experts. The aim was to consider the need for, and feasibility of, establishing a regional network to coordinate the enforcement of laws that regulate trade in wildlife and to share intelligence. It was organized jointly by the Environment Public Authority of Kuwait, the CITES Secretariat and the West Asia Regional Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-ROWA), with the financial support of the European Commission.Participants also included representatives of the CITES Secretariat, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Customs Organization (WCO), the ICPO-INTERPOL office in Kuwait, and the secretariats of two existing regional networks to combat wildlife crime – one for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the other for the Horn of Africa. All shared their experience and showed how they could support a regional effort for West Asia. The CITES Parties at the workshop agreed on the need for a regional network in West Asia to enhance regional cooperation in the field of law enforcement related to wildlife crime and to facilitate regional exchange of information, data and intelligence. They elected a task force, comprising four countries, to prepare a proposal on the mechanism to establish a regional network to combat wildlife crime in West Asia, for consideration by each government, in order to obtain the necessary high level of commitment. In warmly welcoming the outcomes of the workshop, the Secretary-General of CITES, Mr John E. Scanlon, said, “the CITES Secretariat will continue to offer its full support to initiatives led by CITES Parties to develop regional networks to enhance wildlife law enforcement, to ensure that wildlife trade is legal and sustainable.” The State of Kuwait being a representative of the Asian region in the Standing Committee of CITES, and coordinator of the Convention in the framework of the League of Arab States, has offered to host the new network under the auspices of the Environment Public Authority.

Source: CITES.orgThe International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) delivered a two-day cutting-edge training workshop to wildlife law enforcement officials from 21 countries in Nairobi, Kenya, from 30 to 31 October 2013. The training strengthened the skills of law enforcement officers from across Africa and Asia, to combat transnational organized wildlife crime more effectively through the use of a broad range of innovative and specialized investigation techniques. It further exposed these officers to hands on training on the use of tools and services available to them through ICCWC partner agencies and highlighted the importance of increased international collaboration,to facilitate multidisciplinary investigations and law enforcement responsesacross range, transit and destination States, targeting the sophisticated criminal networks behind transnational organized wildlife crime,to bring the kingpins behind these networks to justice’. Mr John Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES, stated that ‘the purpose of ICCWC is to bring coordinated support to national wildlife law enforcement agencies and to the sub-regional and regional networks that, on a daily basis, work to counter the illegal wildlife trade’. He further emphasized that ‘it is crucial that all available tools such as the secure communication channels and databases provided by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization, and specialized investigation techniques, such as controlled deliveries, anti-money laundering and asset recovery tools and risk profiling, are utilized to the full extent possible, in the fight against illegal wildlife trade’. Mr. Bonaventure Ebayi, Director of the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF) said: ‘I welcome the training on intelligence gathering, management and analysis, as well as on questioning techniques, operational best practices and operational planning provided to participants. This newly acquired knowledge will empower wildlife law enforcement officers to combat the growing global challenge posed by wildlife crime more effectively’. He implored participants to among other things share knowledge and experiences during the training and to share it with their counterparts at national level as they return to their respective countries. More....

Source: Biodiversity-l.iisd.orgA meeting hosted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Rhinoceros Enforcement Task Force and partners in the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) discussed ways to stop the illegal trade in rhinoceros horn, with a focus on the crime-trade chain. The meeting, held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 28-29 October 2013, was attended by 52 representatives from 21 countries that play a role as source, transit or destination countries in the illegal rhinoceros horn trade chain. INTERPOL, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Bank and the World Customs Organization (WCO) also attended the session. Outcomes from the meeting, which was funded by Sweden via the ICCWC, included discussions on various strategies, including: increased international cooperation through memoranda of understanding (MoU) between countries; the use of DNA sampling and forensic techniques to combat illegal wildlife trade; and requests for mutual legal assistance to ensure that the entire crime chain is investigated.

Proceeds of drug trafficking are likely to be used by extremist groups in east and west Africa to band-roll terrorist activities in the growing vulnerable region, an African Union official said Wednesday. The drug problem is actively linked with other forms of organised crimes such as terrorism and trafficking of small arms, Xinhua quoted Olawale Maiyegun, director of the African Union Commission's social affairs department, as saying at a meeting on drug control here. "In the case of Mali, proceeds from drug trafficking were used to fund destabilisation in the northern part of the country," he said, adding that though the link is obvious in some cases, it would be premature to say so for all the terrorist activities. Maiyegun said there was no part of Africa that was free from drug trafficking although the crime was more prevalent in west Africa and recently in the continent's eastern region. Drug control experts say West Africa has been a major transit route for cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe while east Africa served as a transit point for trafficking of heroin from the New Crescent area including Afghanistan and Pakistan. The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in east Africa the seizures of heroin increased almost 10-fold since 2009. Maiyegun said with Kenya suffering more organised crime, there was a possibility that proceeds from piracy could have been used to commit the recent terrorist attack at the Westgate shopping mall that killed 67 civilians and security agents and injured at least 175 others. More....

Will it surprise you if I tell you that wildlife crime now ranks as the fourth biggest illegal trade after drugs, counterfeiting and people, in terms of profits? It is a global economic crime perpetrated often by criminal organisations and it is linked to the illegal trafficking of drugs, people and even to terrorism. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime calculated in 2011 that the total value of the illegal global wildlife trade was between $8bn to $10bn annually (excluding timber and marine wildlife).London is a centre for criminals who abuse and traffic wildlife, which is why it's obvious that the Government, the Metropolitan Police and the Mayor of London should take this issue seriously. They don’t. Since I was elected to the London Assembly I have been lobbying the Met to properly fund and resource its Wildlife Crime Unit, but senior officers just don’t see it as core policing and its funding has been reduced by the Met, with the occasional threat of scrapping it altogether.Now, yet again, the funding for this unit is under serious threat. That’s in spite of the fact that the unit does a huge amount of good work and gets the Met rare positive media coverage. Since 2012 the Wildlife Crime Unit has been partially funded by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). The £100,000 a year of extra funding has ensured two critical staff posts, which have increased the effectiveness of the unit, and provided a small operational budget. However this funding will come to an end in April 2014.The work the Wildlife Crime Unit does with the support of WSPA is fantastic, but it should not be left to charities to step in to enforce the law, especially against organised crime. It is one thing for a charity to start something off to demonstrate what can be achieved, but quite another to fully fund it. More....

Al-Shabaab, the Somali Islamist group that killed dozens of people last month in a bloody four-day siege of the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, is deriving funds for its terror campaigns from elephant poaching in Kenya and elsewhere, activists and conservationists claim. The Elephant Action League (EAL), which has dubbed ivory the "white gold of jihad", said that elephant poaching and the trafficking of ivory is fuelling conflict in Africa by helping groups such as al-Shabaab to mount ever more deadly attacks.The illicit ivory trade funds "up to 40 per cent of the cost [of al-Shabaab's] army of 5,000 people", according to Andrea Crosta, a director of EAL, and co-author of a 2011 report into the links between poaching and terror groups.The spotlight on al-Shabaab's funding is more intense than ever after the most deadly terror attack on Kenyan soil since the 1998 US embassy bombings in Nairobi which killed more than 200 people. The Westgate siege has propelled the affiliate of al-Qa'ida to international attention. The group has warned that the slaughter, in which at least 67 people died, is just "the premiere of Act One" and continues to demand that Kenya pull its troops out of Somalia.The poaching of elephants for their tusks has driven the animal in some countries – such as Sierra Leone and Senegal – to the point of extinction. More than 30,000 elephants were slaughtered in Africa last year alone, 382 of them in Kenya.Armed with AK-47 machine guns, and with bows and arrows that are sometimes poisoned, poachers slip unnoticed past the few rangers who patrol the conservancies and track the elephants. Often, they target the calves first in the knowledge that the older elephants will bunch up to try to protect them. Then they kill the others. It takes several bullets to bring down such sizeable mammals, and the elephants usually die after immense suffering. The poachers hack off most of the elephant's head to get at the tusks. More....

Finally the worsening poaching crisis has reached the political world. The UN, ADB and Interpol are working at action plans; IUCN is preparing an elephant conference in Botswana; President Barack Obama has promised some assistance and the Clinton Global Initiative has invited African leaders to sign a moratorium on ivory trade in Washington. Prince Charles is likewise organizing a high level meeting of invited Heads of States from Africa to a discussion on wildlife crime. His sons, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, went one step further and created a new global conservation organization, called "United for Wildlife". Footballer David Beckham registered as the first fan and member. It remains to be seen how effective the well-intentioned mix of political heavyweights, glamour and royalty will be at the end of the day in saving elephants and rhino (see Duke of Cambridge and David Beckham join forces to fight illegal wildlife trade - Telegraph).

For the veteran "wildlife's" amongst us this is all remindful of the poaching crisis in the nineteen seventies and eighties. We also remember what did work a quarter of a century ago and what did not. International cooperation in fighting the illegal wildlife trade across the borders is indispensable (see the article "UN Office on Drugs and Crime" on page 21). We all hope that this finally can be achieved. It is well known from where ivory and rhino horn comes and where it ends. Corruption, individual greed for economic gain and bad governance are at the root of the problem. Without success at these fronts nothing will change in the long run. Charity begins at home!

However, one fact must not be forgotten: Without "boots on the ground" the illegal killings will not be terminated. Well-trained, armed and motivated game scouts will have to stop the poaching in the parks, reserves, wild lands and private properties of Africa, where the wildlife roams. More often than not they are not provided the necessary means by their wildlife administrations. In many countries it is the presence and anti-poaching effort of hunters in the wildlife areas, which complement and even sometimes substitute state efforts. More....

Organized environmental crime is known to pose a multi-layered threat to human security, yet it has long been treated as a low priority by law enforcers, seen as a fluffy “green” issue that belongs in the domain of environmentalists.

But due to a variety of factors - including its escalation over the past decade, its links to terrorist activities, the rising value of environmental contraband and the clear lack of success among those trying to stem the tide - these crimes are inching their way up the to-do lists of law enforcers, politicians and policymakers.

The recent terror attack on the popular Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, has placed environmental crimes like the ivory and rhino horn trade under increased scrutiny. Al-Shabab, the Islamist militant group that has taken credit for the attack, is widely believed to fund as much as 40 percent of its activities from elephant poaching, or the “blood ivory” trade. The Lord’s Resistance Army, a brutal rebel group active in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic, is also known to be funded through elephant poaching.

Rising incomes in Asia have stimulated demand for ivory and rhino horn, leading to skyrocketing levels of poaching. Over the past five years, the rate of rhino horn poaching in South Africa has increased sevenfold as demand in Vietnam and other Asian countries for the horn - used as cancer treatments, aphrodisiacs and status symbols - grows.

“Drop in the ocean”

On the international stage, politicians - alarmed by increasing evidence of links between terrorist organizations and organized environmental crime - are taking a more visible stand against wildlife trafficking. In July, US President Barack Obama set up a taskforce on wildlife trafficking and pledged US$10 million to fight it. More....

The President of Gabon has called for the establishment of a United Nations Special Envoy on wildlife crime and a UN General Assembly resolution at a side meeting in New York yesterday. The Gabon hosted the meeting together with Germany and participants included major names from international wildlife organisations. Present at the meeting was CITES Secretary-General John E. Scanlon who joined with Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in calling for more support and action from the international community.In a press release from the CITES Secretariat the officials stated, “The nature of wildlife crime has also changed. Gunmen and flatbed trucks have been replaced by helicopters and potent automatic weapons. The animals in their sights have little chance in this gory pursuit for illicit profits. Behind the gun teams are sophisticated supply chains using modern technology, as well as bribes and corruption, to deliver animal parts to every corner of the earth.Courageous, but underpaid park rangers are often outmanned, outgunned and outwitted in a deadly game of hide-and-seek with poachers. Ranger services have been retrained to spot illegal kills, but have had to call in the military to do their job.” In many parts of the world the rangers do not have the support needed to combat professional poachers. This was highlighted dramatically a couple of weeks ago when two forest rangers were killed in Thailand. A forest patrol of 10 rangers had just 1 shotgun and 1 rifle between them. When they came up against 5 poachers armed with modern automatic weapons the outcome was inevitable. Due to that incident the Thai government has announced plans to arm and train all their forest rangers with modern weapons. In Kaziranga National Park the Indian government has just announced that the parks forest rangers will be equipped with modern AK-47 assault rifles to help them combat increasingly well-arm poaching syndicates. More....

Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov called on states to strengthen global efforts to combat poaching and illicit wildlife trafficking.

Speaking on the margins of the UN General Assembly at an event organized by the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, Mr. Fedotov warned that poaching and wildlife trafficking were transnational organized crime being carried out on a "massive scale". "Poachers and other criminals are driving elephants, rhinos, tigers and many other species to the verge of extinction, around the globe," he said. "These criminals are destroying local livelihoods, upsetting fragile ecosystems and hindering social and economic development. They are fuelling violence and corruption, and undermining the rule of law." Mr. Fedotov called on states to treat poaching and wildlife trafficking as serious criminal offences. Legislation and criminal justice systems need to be strengthened, and more must be done to reduce the demand driving the illegal trade in wildlife, he added. "We need to raise awareness of the devastation caused by the markets for ivory, rhino horn, bushmeat, exotic parrots and shark fins. We must make consumers aware that this crime is far from victimless," said Mr. Fedotov.

Just this week, in Zimbabwe's largest game park, more than 80 elephants were killed for their ivory by poachers who poisoned a waterhole with cyanide. Across Zimbabwe's border, in South Africa, a record 688 rhinos were killed in 2013.In 2011 alone, 25,000 wild elephants were illegally killed in Africa, primarily for their ivory. Over the past few years, poachers killed the last wild rhinos in Mozambique and Vietnam. The world's population of tigers has dwindled to around 3,000 animals in the wild. These are some of our most emblematic species, but wildlifecrime is also robbing the natural heritage of peoples and states.Wildlife crime now ranks among trafficking in drugs, arms and human beings in terms of profits. It is an economic crime often perpetrated by criminal syndicates operating in the most remote regions of our globalised world, exploiting local people and lax laws or enforcement for personal gain.The nature of wildlife crime has also changed. Gunmen and flatbed trucks have been replaced by helicopters and potent automatic weapons. The animals in their sights have little chance in this gory pursuit for illicit profits. Behind the gun teams are sophisticated supply chains using modern technology, as well as bribes and corruption, to deliver animal parts to every corner of the earth.Courageous, but underpaid park rangers are often outmanned, outgunned and outwitted in a deadly game of hide-and-seek with poachers. Ranger services have been retrained to spot illegal kills, but have had to call in the military to do their job.Profits are enormous. More....

Following are Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the High-level Event on Illicit Wildlife Trafficking, in New York on 26 September: I welcome this important discussion and I am grateful to the Governments of Gabon and of Germany, who are providing the driving force behind this initiative. Illicit wildlife trafficking represents a criminal trade of billions of dollars each year. It is a threat to people and to the planet’s resources. Key species are being driven to extinction. The proceeds of illegal trade support transnational organized crime and terror organizations. Murder and violence go hand in hand with this despicable business. The illegal trade in wildlife and endangered species is linked to drug smugglers, gun runners and human trafficking. It is a threat to all three pillars of our Organization: human rights, peace and security, and development. Fragile and conflict-affected States are particularly vulnerable because they lack the means to adequately regulate the exploitation of natural resources and control borders. For example, the Lord’s Resistance Army is known to be engaged in the illegal ivory trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. The illicit gain it generates is sustaining conflict. The Secretary-General has identified poaching as a major national and subregional security concern for the Central African region. The Security Council has also spoken out. The illegal ivory trade has doubled since 2007. Some consignments seized by authorities have contained tusks from hundreds of elephants. The most recent data suggests that over 25,000 African elephants were killed in 2011. Preliminary studies for 2012 show a similarly bleak figure. Scores of elephants were recently poisoned at a water hole in Zimbabwe. And rhinoceros poaching in South Africa has reached record levels, driven by demand from middle-class consumers, primarily in Asia. More....

By Yury Fedotov, John E. Scanlon [Admin update: Another version of this is here.\

OOrganized [sic\ criminal networks are trafficking in endangered species, driving them to the brink of extinction. We need to act before it is too late. In 2011, 25,000 wild elephants were illegally killed in Africa, primarily for their ivory. Over the past few years, poachers killed the last wild rhinos in Mozambique and Vietnam. The world's population of tigers has dwindled to around 3,000 in the wild. These are some of our most emblematic species, but wildlife crime is also robbing the natural heritage of people and states. Wildlife crime ranks among trafficking in drugs, arms and human beings in terms of profits. It is an economic crime often perpetrated by criminal syndicates operating in the most remote regions of the world, exploiting people and lax laws or enforcement for gain. The nature of wildlife crime has also changed. Gunmen and flatbed trucks have been replaced by helicopters and automatic weapons. The animals in their sights have little chance in this gory pursuit for profits.Behind the gun teams are sophisticated supply chains using modern technology, as well as bribes and corruption, to deliver animal parts to every corner of the earth. More....

A 29-year-old Vietnamese national was on Tuesday arrested while trying to smuggle five rhino horns out of the country at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The man was in transit from Maputo, Mozambique en-route to Hong Kong via Doha, Qatar. Le Manh Cuong was detected and seized by a joint security team comprising the Kenya Airports Police Unit, Customs, Kenya Airport Authority, Kenya Airways and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Kenya Wildlife Service Spokesman Paul Muya told Capital FM News that he was found in possession of the five pieces of rhino horns weighing 20.1kgs packed in a hand-drawn suitcase stuffed with mattress cuttings to disguise the contraband. The suspect was booked at the JKIA police station awaiting arraignment at the Makadara Law Courts on Wednesday. Last month a Chinese national was sentenced to serve 31 months in jail after being convicted over charges relating to smuggling ivory from the country. Muya says 39 foreigners, including nine Vietnamese and 19 Chinese nationals, have been arrested smuggling illegal wildlife products out of the country this year. More....

Poachers earned US$ 30 million(Sh2.6 billion) from 154 tonnes of ivory in 2011. A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report on organised crime said between 5,600 and 15,400 elephants are poached in Eastern Africa annually. A total of 15,400 elephants were killed in East Africa alone. The report titled 'Transnational Organised Crime in East Africa: A Threat Assessment,' was released yesterday. It further indicated that most ivory shipments from Africa to Asia pass through Dar es Salaam and Mombasa ports. Estimates put the current elephant population in East Africa at 140,000 which is about one third of the continents population. Most of these are in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan. That represents between 4 per cent and 11 per cent of the elephant population killed in East Africa and sold at about USD850 (Sh73,950) per kilogramme. "It is estimated that between 5,600 and 15,400 elephants are poached in Eastern Africa annually producing between 56 and 154 metric tonnes of illicit ivory of which two thirds (37 tons) is destined for Asia worth around USD31 million (Sh2.6 billion) in 2011," the report said. The report says that the current poaching rates exceed the regions natural population growth and could quickly diminish the elephant population that had rebounded and increased after the 1970 to 1989 decrease in number."East Africa is important as a source of illicit ivory, but it may even be more important as a transit area. More....

More than 100,000 people were smuggled out of eastern Africa in 2012, heroin seizures are soaring and ivory poaching has risen to levels that could threaten local elephant populations, the United Nations said in a report on organised crime on Tuesday. Most of the people being smuggled are Ethiopians and Somalis hoping to find a better life working in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. En route, they are often kidnapped, tortured and held for ransom. “This is driven in part by high levels of conflict and poverty which have resulted in a large and vulnerable stream of migrants,” the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a statement. “Many of those trying to escape the situations they face are subjected to a range of abuses, including confinement, beatings, extortion and rape at multiple stages of their journey.” Criminal networks are behind the human smuggling trade, earning $15 million a year for organising the dangerous voyage across the Gulf of Aden or Red Sea. HEROIN TRADE The other growing criminal enterprises explored in the report, Transnational Organized Crime in Eastern Africa: A Threat Assessment, are heroin trafficking from South-West Asia, ivory trafficking to Asia and Somali piracy. More....

Chinese expatriates working in the region have been accused of being behind illicit ivory trade.

A UN report on drugs and human trafficking says Thailand and China remain two of the most important destinations. “Expatriate Chinese resident in Eastern Africa comprise some of the most important middlemen. Although they have taken measures to address the illicit trade, Thailand and China remain two of the most important destinations,” says part of the report. The report titled Transnational Organised Crime in Eastern Africa: a Threat Assessment, was launched yesterday in Nairobi by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Apart from ivory, the report focused on migrant smuggling from Somalia and Ethiopia, heroin trafficking from South-West Asia to Eastern Africa and Somalia maritime piracy. The report says demand for ivory in Asia has fuelled poaching in the region, undermining sustainability of local elephant population. Kenya and Tanzania are the main transit points of the ivory and act as sources. Between 2009 and 2011, Tanzania accounted for 37 per cent of global recovered ivory, Kenya had 27 per cent, Uganda three per cent, South Africa 10 per cent and West Africa four per cent. The report says between 5,600 and 15,400 elephants are poached in the region annually, producing between 54 and 154 metric tonnes of the illicit ivory. More....

The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) resumed business on Wednesday at its Chambers in Arusha, and passed three key resolutions.

The resolutions that saw the light of day included a motion urging Partner States to assist girls with sanitary pads and hygienic facilities in schools, pay tribute to the Rotary International for their humanitarian services and finally calling EAC Partner States to take concerted actions to end the killings of elephants and ivory trafficking.........Meanwhile the resolution on halting the killings of elephants and ivory trafficking was presented by AbuBakr Ogle who noted that investment in wildlife law enforcement was inadequate to deal with emerging threats as a result of increase of criminal cartels.

He said the region has a role to play in halting the trade, “no African elephant range is immune to the ongoing killings of elephants to feed the ivory demand in the Far East…a workable solution to the crisis is needed.”

The legislators welcomed the creation of the International Consortium for Combating Wildlife Crime involving the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Interpol and the World Bank among others and noted the importance of realising the set targets.

The resolution thus called on EAC Partner States to categorise elephant poaching and ivory trafficking as an economic crime and a national and regional crisis.

They said it is important for EAC Partner States to co-operate to identify wildlife crime hotspots and conduct coordinated investigations and undertake joint crackdown on corruption while eliminating any corrupt tendencies that abet poaching of elephants for their ivory.

In this regard, EALA urged EAC Partner States to scale up engagement with regional and global enforcement agencies in order to crack down on key cartels and continue to use services provided by the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) comprising UNODC, CITES, Interpol, WCO, World Bank and Caucus Foundation (ICCF) among others. More (deleted, non-relevant material)....